


Science Fair Projects

by ChibiTabatha



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Childhood, First Aid, Forduary, Gen, science fair projects, story telling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 06:24:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13828365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiTabatha/pseuds/ChibiTabatha
Summary: The family is sorting through some old things. The kids find a few old science projects. Including the one that changed their lives forever. Does he tell them about it like they want?





	Science Fair Projects

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, in the nick of time eh? Week one of Forduary!
> 
> Unoffical part two of Tunnel Vison in the Ring. You don't have to read it to enjoy this though. I promise.
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/13482147

The family was making quick work of the old boxes. Filled to the brim with what his brother called ‘junk’. Not all of it was, and some of it was certainly junk. “Great Uncle Ford, what is this?” his nephew lifted a fragmented water table display from his youth.   
  
“Ah, just an old diorama. Looks like it’s seen better days,” he walked over and gently took the display from the young boy. One of the clouds snapped off and rolled onto the floor.   
  
Mabel laughed as them, shifting through her own box. “What’s this Grunkle Ford?” the item pulled from the box dropped his heart into his stomach.   
  
“ _ The _ Science Fair project,” his brother’s dejected voice filled the air.   
  
Mabel and Dipper both looked at the machine. The arms that should have never stopped moving, hung limp. Dipper poked and prodded the machine, “You never told us how you made a perpetual motion machine.”   
  
Ford blinked rapidly, “I didn’t think that would be something you kids would be interested in.”   
  
Mabel gently held the machine out to him, “I mean, maybe if you fix it up, you could sell the patent? Fix up the Stan O’ War II? It’s busted up from when you guys went on that trip right?”   
  
He gently placed the water table display in the box marked ‘Junk’, carefully eyeing the machine. “That is true, the Stan O’ War II did take some damage,” he approached with caution, glancing at his brother.   
  
“Patent-shmantent. You worked hard on it. Tell them about it,” Stan offered him a small smile.   
  
He removed the machine from Mabel’s hands, the weight bearing down on his heart and his hands. “Alright, but I can’t guarantee that the story will be interesting,” he offered a small smile to his niblings.    
  
The younger siblings moved closer to Stan who sat on box, it sagging under his weight a touch. Mabel practically sat on his brother's feet, leaning on his legs. Dipper sat beside his sister and got an affectionate head pat from Stan. He looked from his picturesque family to the machine in his hands. “I changed my mind. If you two want to find out how I made this, you'll have to help me fix it yourselves,” he placed the machine in another box. Tucking away that awful feeling in his chest for later examination.  
  
“Awwww,” Mabel started, “that's not fair!”  
  
Dipper pitched in, “Yeah! We got to hear about Grunkle Stan's past a little. Not cool.”  
  
His brother's large hands rubbed the niblings’ heads. “Hey, he did say you could help out?” he smiled at each of them.  
  
“Just like Stanley helped me win the science fair when we were ten,” he may not have wanted to talk about the machine that changed their lives, but he wouldn't leave his family high and dry.  
  
“I hardly call what I did helping,” Stan crossed his arms across his chest.  
  
This had however grabbed the attention of the younger twins, rapt gazes focused solely on him. “If you hadn’t knocked over the lamp and cut yourself up so badly there would have been no winning project,” he smiled at his brother warmly.  
  
“I would have been fine,” Stan was pouting slightly.  
  
“You were bleeding everywhere. You almost got it on mom’s favorite carpet,” he smiled at his brother. At that his brother muttered under his breath, the argument over for now. “Now like I was saying. Your uncle Stanley here was running around the house and broke your great grandma’s favorite lamp. Of course he also had to try and clean it up. He shredded his hands, sliced to ribbons. He was bleeding everywhere. Of course, I tried to help him. We didn’t have nearly enough first aid supplies though. So I made him wrap his hands in an old shirt while I whipped up a little something for him. This is something I got patented, but the government wouldn’t give me the money until I was older. It’s a clear film you put over small cuts to seal them, the ‘liquid bandage’ if you will,” he chuckled at the memory.  
  
“That’s a really new product? Whaaaa?” Mabel looked up at Stan.  
  
“No he made it alright pumpk’n,” his brother ran his hand through her hair.  
  
“The government kept it. Wanted to use it for their military, can hardly blame them,” Ford shrugged. “I decided that this would be my science fair project. So I checked up on Stanley the next few days, no itching, no rashes. It would be perfect. I wrote up the chemical compound, what it does. Made a few more batches. Everything was perfect. It was award winning. Never did get to take it out of state. The government saw to that.”  
  
“Woulda’ won too,” Stan huffed.  
  
“Well they did want to keep it a secret.”  
  
“Did a better job than we did about the lamp,” he was sulking now.  
  
He laughed, “I told you to come clean about it, she was more worried about you in the end.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get back to sorting this stuff out now, okay?” Stan smiled at his brother.  
  
The kids moaned, “No more. Let’s get something to eat,” they spoke in unison.  
  
“As long as my nerdy bro isn’t cooking I’m up for that plan,” Stan managed to remove himself from Mabel and stand.  
  
“My cooking isn’t that bad!” he stomped his foot on the ground.  
  
Tell that to the beautiful men that won’t eat your scraps from the garbage,” Stan deadpanned and the kids laughed.  
  
“Fine. But no Stancakes. I don’t want your hair in my food,” Ford laughed with his family as they all headed to the kitchen for a much deserved break.

 


End file.
